Recession-born firm has grown to meet international demand
AN engineering consultancy business established in Charleville at the height of the recession in 2010 has prospered in the intervening years and this week moved into new premises in Charleville Town Centre.
Brothers Tony and Donal Fitzgerald, who are both engineers with a contracting background, set up the business and launched the OCF Project and Commercial Services Company. Today, seven years later, the company employs some 30 people and has just moved into specifically refurbished offices in the town centre complex in Charleville, to provide commercial support to contractors in both Ireland and the UK.
This includes a monitoring function for new lending with key banks and investors, project feasibility cost/benefit analysis, independent property reviews, from a compliance value added perspective.
OCF also provide management services, planning, Fire/DAC certification applications on properties ranging from one-off units to large hotels, commercial units and housing estates.
Their work force now includes engineers, quantity surveyors, architectural technicians and administrative staff under the management of Martina Morrissey.
The president of Charleville Chamber, P. J. McCarthy, welcoming the opening of the new premises, said this was a great confidence boost for Charleville as a centre for locating new business. He wished OCF and its directors, Tony, Donal and Fergal, continued success with their work and assured them of the support of the Chamber where ever possible.
“Charleville has been a great centre and 80% of our work is carried out here,” said Tony Fitzgerald. “Its central location is ideal for staff travelling from Cork and Limerick, and regions in between, while those from beyond that stay locally during the week.
“Most of our workforce is based here even though the majority of our work flows primarily from our offices in both Dublin and London, and other regional cities.
“It took us twelve months to find a suitable premises locally and we now have taken out a 20 year lease on the space here in the town centre,” said Tony Fitzgerald.
OCF has two sister companies, DNCF is the contracting arm established in 2013 and headed up by Paul Neenan and Mark McKenna along with Tony and Donal Fitzgerald. The second Company is OCFI Consultancy, which is supported by Enterprise Ireland and targets non-Irish based clients and is currently focused on clients in London and other parts of the UK.
Having doubled turnover in the last two years, Donal, Tony, Mark and Paul intend to further grow their market share within all three businesses and ensure they maintain a key position in what is now an increasing market in Ireland, the UK and indeed certain target countries beyond.